Black Lips And VitaminWater 'Give Bands A Chance'

Atlanta's skuzzy and fuzzy Black Lips may not be the first band you'd think of when it comes to corporate tie-ins — since most big brands tend to frown on stuff like onstage urination — and yet here they are, talking about joining forces with VitaminWater for a nationwide series of free concerts called "Uncapped."

And to frontman Jared Swilley, it sort of makes perfect sense.

"[It's] a series of concerts that we've curated across the country ... giving bands a chance to get out there and make some money and get some people to hear them," he told. "[In] Chicago, we've got the Mannequin Men; in Minneapolis, we've got Birthday Suits, and we've played with them a lot of times over the years. They're cool. They're from Japan."

"It's cool they get the opportunity to get up there and play for an audience that might not have heard about them before," drummer Joe Bradley added.

In fact, the whole point of "Uncapped" seems to be shining a spotlight on underappreciated acts — like Mannequin Men, Birthday Suits, Hollows and rappers French Montana and Pill — with a series of free, kick-ass parties across the country. And that, uh, exposure (pun intended, given the Black Lips' penchant for nudity-filled live sets) is part of the reason Swilley and company signed on. After all, they've been on the road since the early 2000s, most recently in support of their crackling, Mark Ronson-produced Arabia Mountain album, and they've come to appreciate just how tough it can be to break through. But that's not to say touring — and partnering with VitaminWater — doesn't have its perks.

"We've been on tour for four months, and I would say, just the same as it was in the Vietnam War, socks [are important]," Swilley said. "Socks are a big thing that's on our rider ... water. VitaminWater actually helps."

Have you seen the Lips live before? Let us know in the comments below!